When people imagine therapy, many picture a familiar scene: a quiet office, a couch, and a weekly one-hour conversation that unfolds over months. Yet, in reality, therapy is not a single, fixed format. It includes a set of evidence-based practices and tools that can be delivered in different ways depending on the person and the problem. One important, and often underrecognized, dimension of therapy is the pace at which it is delivered.

As a psychologist, I sometimes explain my work to my children by saying that I help people with their feelings. That simple description leaves out the structure and complexity behind psychotherapy, but it captures something essential: Therapy is meant to help people when they are struggling. We all know that when someone is suffering, waiting can be hard.

I felt this acutely while supporting a loved one through treatment for an anxiety disorder. Weekly sessions were helpful, but the days between appointments were excruciating as we waited for the next set of skills. The need for relief was immediate, yet a higher level of care, like an intensive outpatient program, didn’t quite fit. That experience stayed with me and sharpened my awareness of how the standard pacing of therapy, while effective for many, can sometimes feel misaligned with the intensity of distress or may miss an opportunity for faster support that can be equally effective.

Traditionally, psychotherapy in the United........

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